Best Rock Trios

Rock music has been dominated by quartets, such as the Beatles, the Who, and Queen. Occasionally a band of five or more has managed to capture stardom, such as the Stones and Aerosmith, but they are not nearly as common.

Even rarer are bands comprised of just three members. Over a half century of rock, only a few trios have garnered much attention.

Amazingly, in 2011, several threesomes released some of the best albums of the year. Foster the People is an indie trio that received Grammy nominations for "Pumped Up Kicks" and its album Torches. Bright Eyes, a threesome led by Connor Oberst, released The People's Key, perhaps the group's finest album to date.

Time will tell if those bands will endure and rise to the status of other trios. Here is a list of the best three-member bands in rock music.

ZZ Top: The lil' ol' band from Texas topped the charts with "Tush" in the 70s and utilized early MTV to score video hits such as "Legs."

America: The three guys here were all folk-rock singer/songwriters who became known for smooth, palatable acoustic ballads like "Horse with No Name" and "Sister Golden Hair."

Rush: Shrill-voiced bassist Geddy Lee fronts this Canadian rock band that has amassed a following because of 70s hits like "Working Man" through 80s tunes like "Tom Sawyer."

Uncle Tupelo: This Illinois alt-country trifecta spawned two excellent bands after Jay Farrar left to form Son Volt and Jeff Tweedy started Wilco.

Emerson, Lake and Palmer: Greg Lake's classical guitar sound blended well with the innovative keyboard work of Keith Emerson to produce enduring tracks like "Lucky Man" and "Still. . . You Turn Me On."

Cream: The three rock gods comprising this band epitomize classic rock on tracks such as "White Room" and "Sunshine of Your Love."

Peter, Bjorn and John: The Swedish trio has made a succession of solid albums, culminating in 2011's Gimme Some. "Second Chance" and "Dig a Little Deeper" will be remembered as two of the finest tracks from this decade's first year.

Ben Folds Five: Despite the name, the band featured just three members. Front man Folds is a whiz with the piano as well as the pen, creating some of the wittiest lyrics at the end of the 20^th century.

The Police: The new wave band eclipsed all of its 80s peers in terms of success and longevity, charting throughout two decades from "Roxanne" through "Every Breath You Take."